Marathon - Ancient History Encyclopedia Marathon by Mark Cartwright published on 19 May 2013 The Battle on the plain of Marathon in September 490 BCE between Greeks and the invading forces of Persian King Darius was a victory which would go down in folklore as the moment the Greek city -states showed the world their courage and excellence and won their liberty. Although in reality the battle only delayed the Persians in their imperialistic ambitions and greater battles would follow, Marathon was the first time that mighty Persia had been shown beatable and the battle would be represented in Greek art - literature , sculpture, architecture, and pottery - as a crucial and defining moment in the history of Greece . The Persian Empire Persia, under the rule of Darius (r. 522-486 BCE), was already expanding into mainland Europe and had subjugated Ionia , Thrace, and Macedonia by the beginning of the 5th century BCE. Next in king Darius’ sights were Athens and the rest of Greece. Just why Greece was coveted by Persia is unclear.

Wealth and resources seem an unlikely motive; other more plausible suggestions include the need to increase the prestige of the king at home or to quell once and for all a collection of potentially troublesome rebel states on the western border of the empire. The Ionian rebellion, the symbolic offering of earth and water in submission to the Persian satrap in 508 BCE, and the attack by Athens and Eretria on the city of Sardis in 499 BCE had not been forgotten either. Whatever the exact motives, in 491 BCE Darius once again sent envoys to call for the Greeks’ submission to Persian rule. The Greeks sent a no-nonsense reply by executing the envoys, and Athens and Sparta promised to form an alliance for the defence of Greece. Darius’ response to this diplomatic outrage was to launch a naval force of 600 ships and 25,000 men to attack the Cyclades and Euboea, leaving the Persians just one step away from the rest of Greece. However, the invaders would meet their match in 490 BCE when the Greek forces led by Athens gathered at the plain of Marathon to defend their country from foreign subjugation.

Advertisement The Persian Army Overall command of the Persian army was in the hands of Datis as Darius did not lead the invasion in person. Second-in-command was Artaphernes, Darius’ nephew, who perhaps led the Persian cavalry. The total strength of the Persian army is unclear, but judging by the number of ships there may have been some 90,000 men. The actual number of fighting men may have been two baivarabam units or 20,000-25,000 men. Most of these were archers with perhaps another 2,000 strong cavalry force. The Persian army actually came from various states across the empire but the Persians and Sakai were acknowledged as the best fighting units. The Greek Army The Greeks were led by either the Athenian Polemarch Kallimachos (also spelt Callimachus) or Miltiades who had actually fought under Darius in the latter’s campaign in Scythia and so had valuable military intelligence of Persian tactics. The 1,000 Plataeans were commanded by Arimnestos and the Athenians fielded some 9,000 hoplites.

The total force is estimated between 10,000 and 20,000 but was probably nearer the lower figure. Hoplites v Archers The Persians could field superior numbers and their reputation was formidable. The two opposing armies were essentially representative of the two approaches to Classical warfare - the Persians favoured long-range assault using archers followed up with a cavalry charge, whilst the Greeks favoured heavily-armoured hoplites, arranged in a densely packed formation called the phalanx, with each man carrying a heavy round bronze shield and fighting at close quarters using spears and swords. The Persian infantry carried a lightweight (often rectangular) wicker shield (spara) and were armed with a long dagger or curved sword (kopis), a short spear, and composite bow. Typically, those with shields (sparabarai) formed a defensive barrier whilst from behind the archers fired their arrows. The Persian forces also included a couple of 1,000-strong units (hazarbam) of elite spear-bearers (aristabara).

They had lighter armour than the hoplite , usually wearing a tunic (with perhaps bronze scales attached or a leather cuirass for some), colourfully patterned trousers, boots, and a soft hood. Remove Ads Advertisement The Persian cavalry were armed as the foot soldiers, with a bow and an additional two javelins for throwing and thrusting. Cavalry, usually operating on the flanks of the main battle, were used to mop up opposing infantry put in disarray after they had been subjected to repeated salvos from the archers. Although the Persian tactic of rapidly firing vast numbers of arrows into the enemy must have been an awesome sight, the lightness of the arrows meant that they were largely ineffective against the bronze-armoured hoplites. At close quarters, the longer spears, heavier swords, better armour, and rigid discipline of the phalanx formation meant that the Greek hoplites would have all of the advantages, but the Persians could field superior numbers and their reputation was formidable.

Opening Positions The Persian force first landed at Karystos and then Eretria in northern Euboea, sacking both cities before moving across the strait to the eastern end of the bay of Marathon on the 1st and 2nd of September. Marathon was chosen as a suitable landing point for the Persians because it provided ideal terrain for the cavalry units; indeed, the very name Marathon may derive from the wild fennel (marathos) which still grows on this exceptionally fertile plain. In addition, the site also had a nearby lake offering a plentiful supply of water for both men and horses. The advantages of the site are probably why Pisistratus also chose the spot to land in c. 546 BCE on his way to establishing himself as tyrant of Athens. Here then, in the shelter of the Kynosoura peninsula, the Persians set up camp.

When the Greeks discovered the invasion point, there was some discussion amongst the Athenian strategoi or generals whether to stay or meet the invaders, but the latter was the option decided upon and on arrival at Marathon on the 3rd or 4th of September, they set up camp near the sanctuary of Hercules at the western end of the bay, to be shortly joined by the Plataeans. The Spartans, celebrated as the finest fighters in Greece, were unfortunately delayed in their mobilisation because they were involved in the sacred Karneia festival and may well have been preoccupied with a local revolt by the Messenians. In fact, the Spartans would miss the battle by a day. Remove Ads Advertisement The details of the battle, as with most early 5th century BCE battles, are sketchy and contradictory between ancient sources. However, on the 11th of September, it seems that the Greeks drew up their battle lines in the centre of the bay whilst the Persians had embarked only half of their infantry. Forming a front eight men deep, the Greeks lengthened their lines to match the Persians and thinned out their centre group to four men deep.

The Plataeans were positioned on the right flank whilst the Athenians were in the centre and on the left. The best Persian and Sakai troops commanded from the centre, perhaps as many as ten men deep. This was a common Persian tactic, so the thinning of the Greek hoplites in the centre may have been a deliberate tactic by Miltiades or Kallimachos to allow the flanks to envelop the Persians as they made progress in the centre. On the other hand the Greeks could not afford a narrower front than the Persians, as this would allow them to get behind the Greek lines at the wings and render the phalanx formation hopelessly exposed to attack. The two lines of men - invaders and defenders - stretched 1,500 metres long and they now stood just 1,500 metres apart. Battle The Persian cavalry is mysteriously absent from the battle scene, and once again ancient sources and modern historians reach no consensus.

It may have been that Datis could not use them to good effect because of the sporadic trees which dotted the plain, or that he had in fact sent them (or was planning to send them) with other troops towards Athens, either in an attempt to take the city while the Greeks were at Marathon, or perhaps their very absence was to tempt the Greek army to engage in battle before the Spartans arrived. Eventually, though, the infantry on both sides engaged in battle. Moving towards each other and perhaps with the Greeks running the final 400 metres whilst undoubtedly under fire from the Persian archers, the two armies clashed. A lengthy and bloody struggle ensued with eventually the centre of the Persians, perhaps predictably, pushing the weakened Greek centre back. However, both the right and left flank of the Greeks got the upper-hand of the Persians, driving them back. The lines were, therefore, broken and a confused melee was the result. The Persians, now routed on the left and right, fled back to their ships, but to reach them they had to cross a wide marshy area. In the confused retreat the Greek wings closed into the centre and attacked both the Persian centre and pursued the fleeing Persian flanks, inflicting heavy casualties.

Fierce fighting continued around the Persian ships, and it was in this action that Kallimachos was killed. The Greeks captured seven ships of the enemy, but the rest of the fleet escaped with any Persians who had managed to climb aboard. The Greeks had won a great victory. According to tradition 6,400 Persians were dead, for only 192 Greeks. The first figure is reasonably accurate but the latter is likely a great underestimate for propaganda purposes. The Persians were not finished though, as Datis now sailed for Cape Sounion in an attempt to attack Athens whilst the Greek army was away. The Greeks may have been alerted to this development by a traitor’s shield signal from Mt. Pentelikos which was, perhaps unfairly, accredited to the Alkemeonidai clan. No doubt exhausted, the Greek army was, nevertheless, compelled to march back at the double to Athens to defend the city. Their arrival at night of the same day seems to have been enough to discourage the Persians anchored off Phaleron and the fleet withdrew back to Asia. At this point 2,000 Spartans finally arrived but they were unnecessary for victory was complete.

The Aftermath Back at Marathon, the dead were cremated and buried at the site (an unusual step and the burial mound is still visible today), and a commemorative column trophy was erected (fragments of which are now in the Archaeological Museum of Marathon). Sacrifices were made in thanks to the gods, notably 500 goats to Artemis Agrotera, and each year thereafter, a sacrifice was performed at the site, a ritual continued for another 400 years. The Athenians set up a column and statue of Iris (or Nike ) on their acropolis in honour of Kallimachos, and his role in the victory and statues and war booty were dedicated at the great sanctuary of Delphi . The victory was also commemorated in statues by the renowned sculptor Phiedias - a bronze group at Delphi which included Apollo , Artemis, and Miltiades, and a colossal bronze Athena on the Athenian acropolis. A temple to Artemis Eukleia was built in Athens, and the battle was also the subject of the sculpture on the south side of the Temple of Athena Nike c. 425-400 BCE in Athens.

The victory was a great morale booster for the Greeks and all kinds of legends grew out of the events in September. Visions of the mythical Athenian hero Theseus during the battle and the intervention of Pan were just some of the stories which helped to explain how the Greeks had managed to defeat the mighty Persian army. Also, veterans of the battle carried a bull of Marathon (from the Hercules myth) device on their shield thereafter to proudly show their participation in this great victory. Despite the Greek euphoria at victory, however, Persian ambitions were not dampened by defeat at Marathon, for within a decade King Xerxes continued his predecessor Darius’ vision, and in 480 BCE gathered a huge invasion force to attack Greece, this time via the pass at Thermopylae . In August 480 BCE a small band of Greeks led by Spartan King Leonidas held the pass for three days, and at the same time the Greek fleet managed to hold off the Persians at the naval Battle of Artemision.

Together, these battles bought Greece time and allowed for the victories to come, first at Salamis in September 480 BCE where the Greek fleet manoeuvred the Persians into shallow waters, and at Plataea in August 479 BCE where the Greeks, fielding the largest hoplite army ever seen, won the battle which finally ended Persia’s ambitions in Greece. The Marathon Race One final legend of Marathon and one which has carried its name up to the present day is Herodotus ’ account of a long-distance messenger (hēmerodromos) named Phidippides. He was sent to enlist the help of the Spartans before the battle and he ran to Sparta, first stopping at Athens, a total distance of 240 km (a feat repeated by an athlete in 1983 CE). Later sources, starting with Plutarch in the 1st century CE, confuse this story with another messenger sent from Marathon after the battle to announce victory and warn of the Persian fleet’s imminent arrival in Athens.

In any case, it was from this second legend that a race - covering the same distance as the 42 kilometres between Marathon and Athens - was established in the first revival of the Olympic Games in 1896 CE to commemorate ancient Greek sporting ideals and the original games at Olympia . Fittingly, the first marathon race was won by a Greek, Spiridon Louis. About the Author BBC - Primary History - Ancient Greeks - Greeks at war Greeks at war What armour did Greeks wear? Whom did the Greeks fight? The Greek states often fought each other. Sparta and Athens fought a long war, called the Peloponnesian War, from 431 to 404 BC. Sparta won. Only the threat of invasion by a foreign enemy made the Greeks forget their quarrels and fight on the same side. Their main enemy was Persia . The wars against Persia lasted on and off from 490 to 449 BC. The Persian kings tried to conquer Greece and make it part of the Persian Empire. In the end, it was Greece which defeated Persia, when Alexander the Great defeated the Persian Empire in the 330s BC.

Back to top The Battle of Marathon The Battle of Marathon was a famous Greek victory against the Persians . About 10,000 Greeks, mostly from Athens , fought an army of 20,000 Persians led by King Darius. The Greeks surprised their enemies by charging downhill straight at the Persians. Marathon is remembered for the heroism of a Greek named Pheidippides. Before the battle, he'd run for 2 days and nights - over 150 miles (240 km) - from Athens to Sparta to fetch help. Then he fought at Marathon. After the battle, he ran 26 miles (42 km) non-stop to Athens, but died as he gasped out the news of victory. The modern Marathon race is over the same distance as his epic run from Marathon to Athens. Back to top Fighting in formation The backbone of the Greek army was the hoplite . He was a foot-soldier, and his weapons were a long spear and a sword. He also had a round shield . Hoplites fought in lines or ranks. Eight to ten ranks made a formation called the phalanx . Each soldier held his long spear underarm.

Enemy soldiers saw only a mass of spears and shields, that was hard to break through - and hard to stop once it started moving forward. Lots of phalanxes massed together became like a giant human tank. The Greeks had archers and cavalry , but it was the phalanx that won many famous battles. Back to top What armour did Greek soldiers wear? A hoplite had to pay for his armour, unless his father was killed in battle. Then he was given his father's weapons and armour. Rich men had metal armour, shaped to the chest, but others wore cheap armour made of linen cloth. Layers of cloth were glued together, to make a tough, bendy jacket, which could be covered with metal plates. A Greek soldier carried a big round shield , made of wood and metal. On his legs he wore metal guards, called greaves. On his head he wore a metal helmet, often with a crest on top. The crest was usually made of horsehair, and stuck up to make the soldier look taller and fiercer. Fun Facts Greek ships usually carried 20 or more hoplites (soldiers) for deck-fighting. If a Spartan soldier was afraid and ran away, he was in disgrace.

He had to prove his bravery in the next battle. Spartan boys had to train without underwear, and wore just one tunic - winter and summer. 'At ease', a soldier rested his spear end on the ground and his shield on his thigh. He sometimes did this to show he wasn't scared of an enemy too. Army wagons carried shovels, axes and sickles (for harvesting grain, for food). On the march and in battle, orders were given by blowing horns and trumpets. Body armour was made from linen cloth, in layers glued together to make a stiff shirt. This was lighter and cheaper than metal armour. Spartans did not join the other Greeks to fight at Marathon. They stayed at home to take part in a religious festival. After a victory, a general gave a shield to a temple to thank the gods. The remains of these victory-shields have been found. Greek soldiers sang as they marched into battle, to the music of flutes and trumpets. A phalanx soldier carried his shield on his left arm. His shield helped protect the man next to him. Only the soldier on the far right of the line was exposed to the enemy.

Some of Alexander's Greek soldiers carried very long spears - over 6m/19 ft long!. A metal helmet was heavy. A soldier usually pushed it up on top his head, pulling it down over his face before a battle. Soldiers carried their food in a bag: usually barley, cheese, salted meat and onions. BBC © 2014 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so. [AB-buh-KUS} Beads on a wire or wood frame used for counting and doing sums. Acropolis [a-CROP-olis] The Acropolis is a large hill in the centre of Athens. On top of it were many temples and other buildings, the remains of which can still be seen today archaeologist Expert in studying the past from remains left by people. archer Person who used a bow and arrow. architect A person who designs buildings.

Aristophanes [aris-TOF-a-neez] Lived from about 450 to 385 BC. He wrote comedy plays comedies for the theatre in Athens. Aristotle [aris-TOT-ull] Lived from 384 to 322 BC. A scientist and philosopher. artefact Anything made by people. Artefacts found by archaeologists include broken pottery, bits of wood and metal, brick and stone. Athena The patron goddess of Athens, and goddess of wisdom. A huge statue of Athena stood inside the Parthenon in Athens. Athens The capital city of modern Greece. In ancient times Athens was a powerful city-state with its own government, laws, army and navy. Attica [A-tik-a] The region around Athens. cavalry Soldiers riding on horses. centaur Mythical creature with a horse's lower body and legs, but the chest, arms and head of a man. Centaurs were wild and unruly, but one named Chiron was wise and skilled in healing.

citizen In Athens a citizen was a person with the right to take part in the assembly, serve on juries and take a turn as a member of the ruling council. Only male Athenians were allowed citizen rights. city-state Ancient Greek cities had their own governments, laws and armies. The city and the land it controlled around it made up the city-state. colony (colonies) An overseas settlement. The Greeks set up colonies around the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. column A tall cylinder-shaped support for the roof or doorway to a building. There were three styles of columns in Greek architecture: Doric, Ionic and Corinthian. comedy (comedies) A play written to make the audience laugh. In the Greek theatre comedies poked fun at the foolishness of people and especially politicians. Corinth [COH-rinth] A city-state in southern Greece, famous for its pottery and overland ship-track. Someone or something from Corinth is known as Corinthian. crest Raised decoration on a soldier's helmet, like a ridge. On Greek helmets, the crest was made of stiff horsehair. death penalty Punishment for a serious crime, such as murder. The person found guilty was executed (killed).

Delphi [DEL-fee] A city to the west of Athens, withthe famous Oracle of Delphi. People went to consult the Oracle for advice from the gods. democracy A system of government in which citizens can vote to decide things. Athens had democracy from 510 BC. discus Flat dish-shaped object thrown by an athlete, a bit like a Frisbee only smaller and heavier. E to G ferryman A boatman who takes people across a river or lake in a boat called a ferry. diphtheria Decoration around the top of a wall or building. gorgon Monsters with wings and hair made of snakes. The gorgon Medusa could turn people to stone. factory Building with machines for producing goods in large numbers. factory commission A group of men who travelled around Britain to investigate the working conditions of children in both factories and mines. fire grate The metal part of a fire and fireplace. globe A map of the world drawn on a sphere, useful in geography lessons. governess A woman who taught rich girls and young boys in their homes, as a paid, live-in servant. grammar school Boys' schools, started in the Middle Ages as an alternative to Church schools and giving free education to some boys.

H to L A slave who worked for a Spartan master. historian Someone who writes about, and studies, the past, especially from writings left by earlier people. hoplite [HOP-light] A Greek foot soldier. Hoplites carried round shields and long spears and had bronze helmets and leg guards. Homer Said to be the author of the two long poems, The Iliad and The Odyssey, but nothing is really known about him. isthmus Narrow strip of land with sea either side. javelin A long spear for throwing. jury In a law court, the people who listen to evidence and decide whether an accused person is guilty or not. kiln Oven heated by wood, charcoal or some other burning fuel for 'firing' (heating and hardening) clay pots. M to O State in the north of Greece, birthplace of Alexander the Great. Marathon Battle between the Greeks and Persians. mosaic Picture-decoration made from small coloured tiles. Olympic Games A religious festival held in honour of Zeus, attended by people from all over Greece. oracle A religious custom where people asked the Oracle questions or sought advice. The Oracle was supposed to give the answers of the gods.

P to S [pan-KRAT-ion] A type of wrestling with almost no rules; one of the Olympic events. Parthenon [PARTH-en-on] A huge temple on top of the Acropolis hill in Athens. Pericles [PER-i-kleez] A popular leader of Athens from 458 - 429 BC. Pericles was famous for his stirring public speeches. Persia An empire to the east of Greece, ruled by kings. Persia tried to invade Greece. Ancient Persia is modern Iran. phalanx Greek fighting formation, made up of ranks of foot soldiers. philosopher A person who thinks and writes about the meaning of life and how people live. pirate Sea robber. There were many pirate ships in the Mediterranean and Aegean seas at the time of the Ancient Greeks. Plato Lived from about 428 to 348, he was a philosopher and teacher in Athens. politician Person active in politics - the business of governing a city or country. pottery Useful containers such as bowls, dishes, plates and mugs made from soft clay that is baked hard in an oven called a kiln.

ram In warfare, a pointed weapon for battering holes in walls or ships. Greek warships had rams fixed to their front ends or prows. Roman Roman means "of Rome" or a person from Rome. The Ancient Romans conquered Greece around 146 BC, but admired and copied Greek civilization. sacrifice A gift made to the gods. For example, pieces of meat could be burned on an altar as a sacrifice. scholar Someone who studies - and often writes books too. sculptor Artist who makes statues and other works of art from stone, wood or metal. Scythia Ancient kingdom, north of the Black Sea in a region now inside Ukraine and Russia. slave A person with no freedom, owned by someone else. shield Large piece of wood, leather and metal held in front of a soldier's body to protect him in battle. Most Greek shields were round. Socrates [SOK-rat-TEES] Lived from about 470 to 399. A philosopher and friend of Plato, he was famous for asking questions, but was forced to kill himself because Athens' rulers feared his teachings.

Sophocles [SOF-o-kleez] A writer of plays who died in 406 BC. He was also a general, in the army of Pericles. Sophocles wrote tragedies. Sparta [SPAR-ta] A city-state in southern Greece. The Spartans were famous for their strict military training and powerful army. T to Z temple A building used for religious worship and ceremonies. The Greeks put statues of gods and goddesses inside their temples. tomb The burial place for a dead person. Ancient people often put food, pottery, weapons and other possessions in a person's tomb. tragedy In theatre, a play with a sad or serious ending, and a moral lesson or teaching. trireme [TRY-reem] A Greek warship with three banks or rows of oars. Troy City in what is now Turkey, in which people called Trojans lived. They fought a 10-year war with the Greeks. tunic Typical clothing of Greek men and boys, a loose-fitting garment like a long shirt with short sleeves. Xerxes [Zerksees] King of Persia. Son of Darius. Led the Persian army at the Battle of Salamis.

Zeus [zz YOOS] The king of the gods. Zeus was the most powerful of the ancient Greek gods. The History of the Olympic Marathon Back to History & Records | Next Chapter The Modern Olympic Games are perhaps the most modern spectacle on the planet. Their pageantry, ritual, and tradition are beamed to billions via satellite, and every facet of their competition is not merely tinged with but ruled by modern technology. Yet the Olympics have their roots in a festival more ancient than the rites of Christianity, Islam, or Buddhism. Indeed if, as has often been suggested, the coliseums and stadiums our society has constructed in the twentieth century will ultimately be viewed as the cathedrals of our time, then the Olympic Games are our most sacred rite and Olympic champions our high priests. But the Olympics began in a time before satellites and television, a time before electronic timers, photo finishes, and computer rankings, a time when the greatest of gods was not sport, but Zeus. The origin of the ancient Olympic Games is shrouded in legend, but it may have begun as a commemoration of Zeus' defeating Kronos in a wrestling match-the prize being possession of the earth. The exact date of the first Olympic Games is also lost.

Some sources say 1253 B.C., others 884 B.C.. One thing is certain, however, every four years from 776 B.C. until 394 A.D., the strongest and swiftest men in Greece assembled to compete in the Olympic Games. The Games were held in Olympia, a great complex that included a 60,000-seat stadium, a vast hippodrome for equestrian events, and a gymnasium for wrestlers, boxers, gymnasts, and others. Religious buildings were also and important part of Olympia, just as religious ceremonies were and important part of the Games. One building, the Olympium, housed a forty-foot ivory statue of Zeus with robes of gold, one of the seven wonders of the world. With Zeus watching over the Olympics the Games grew in both size and importance. Wars were suspended during the time of Olympic competition, so great was the respect given the Games. The Olympics began with a single footrace, but grew to encompass a variety of events, many similar to those in modern track and field. However, no race in the ancient Olympics was greater than twenty-four laps around the Olympic stadium, a distance of about three miles.

The ancient Greeks were no strangers to long-distance running, but to them it served as a means to communicate not to compete. The Greeks used foot couriers to take important messages from city to city. Out of this tradition grew a legend so persistent that it would spark the imagination of men nearly 2,500 years later. In 490 B.C. and army from Persia landed on the plain of Marathon, about twenty-five miles from Athens, with the intention of capturing and enslaving that city. The Athenians prepared for a battle that would determine the course of history for centuries to come. A victory for the powerful Persian Empire could destroy the independence of the Greek city-states and effectively end Greek civilization and culture. While the massive Persian army landed, the Athenians sent a messenger named Philippides (his name was corrupted in later texts to Pheidippides) to Sparta to enlist the aid of the Spartans in the upcoming battle. He covered the distance of about 150 miles in less than two days, a remarkable accomplishment by any standard. Back at Marathon, however, the decision was made not to wait for the Spartans. The Athenian army fell upon the vastly larger Persian forces while they were still preparing for battle.

Against great odds, the Greeks prevailed. Though historians writing close to the time of the battle make no mention of the event, writers some 600 years later claim that a runner was dispatched to Athens to carry the news of the great victory. According to legend he reached the city, said, "Rejoice, we conquer," and fell to the ground dead. Though one source gives the runner's name as Philippides, it is highly unlikely that he would have made such a run after having just run to Sparta. If he had, contemporary historians would surely have noted it. Whether any messenger at all was sent to Athens with the news of victory is a matter of some doubt, but certainly Philippides was not the messenger. Still, in the centuries that followed, the legend of Pheidippides (as he began to be called) and the legend of a runner who died to bring news of victory to the Athenians merged, and many later writers gave the name Pheidippides to the ill-fated runner. In the nineteenth century Robert Browning wrote in his Dramatic Idylls of Pheidippides' dash to Athens, his announcement of victory, and his death.

Though Pheidippides was certainly not the runner who carried the news of Greek victory to Athens, and though it seems unlikely that any professional foot courier of ancient Greece would have perished after such a run, the legend took hold, and out of that legend grew the modern marathon race. In 394 A.D., the Roman Emperor Theodosius banned all non-Christian celebrations in the Empire, effectively putting an end to the Olympic Games, Religion, for the time being, had separated from and usurped sport. In the mid-1900s, interest in ancient Greece was on the rise. Archaeologists began to uncover the ruins of the ancient stadium at Olympia, and the idea of reviving the Olympic Games was pursued by a Greek businessman named Evangelios Zappas. With the support of the Greek government, Zappas staged an Olympic competition on November 15, 1859. That competition and three others (in 1870, 1875, and 1889) staged by the Greek government with money left by Zappas in his will, were not successful.

Because of poor planning and improper facilities, spectators could not see the competition and some got into fights, which spilled over onto the track. It appeared that the Olympic Games, dormant for 1,500 years, would not continue into the new century. A French baron named Pierre de Coubertin changed all that. Coubertin was an aristocrat who had worked for some years to improve the quality of physical education in France. In addition to a keen interest in athletics, Coubertin was a proponent of internationalism-cooperation between nations which he felt would promote peace. Inspired by the uncovering of the ruins at Olympia, the failed efforts to revive the ancient Games, and his interest in sports, Coubertin conceived the idea of reestablishing the Olympic Games. In 1892, he hosted a banquet for the Union of French Athletic Sports Clubs, a group he had founded five years earlier. In a speech at the banquet, he proposed reviving the Olympic Games, but the suggestion was met with a mixture of apathy and derision. Was Coubertin suggesting holding footraces in the nude as the ancient Greeks had? Was he seriously suggesting that civilized Europeans should compete with Africans and Asians?

Despite the close-mindedness of his compatriots, Coubertin did not give up. In 1894 he hosted an International Congress of Amateurs. On the program, after several topics concerning amateurism and sports, he listed "Reestablishment of the Olympic Games." The congress was not to discuss whether to revive the Olympics, but rather how it should be done. By the end of the conference, Coubertin had formed the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and plans were in place to stage the first modern Olympic Games in Athens, Greece in 1896. He was able to convince delegates from many countries to enthusiastically support the idea. Though much work remained to be done before the Games could begin, Coubertin's dream seemed destined for reality. Another French delegate to the conference, Michel Bréal, a linguist and historian, was enthralled by the legend of Pheidippides and the famous run from Marathon to Athens. Though the run was unrelated to Olympic competition, Bréal proposed the establishment of a long-distance footrace to commemorate the effort. He offered a silver trophy to whomever would win such a race.

Coubertin loved the idea and promoted the race in many speeches he gave to stir up interest in the Games. The new race was called "the marathon" and was included as the final event on the Olympic agenda. Thus, out of an accomplishment by an ancient Greek, a legend corrupted by historians and poets from Greece to England, and the dreams of two Frenchmen, was born the most audacious of races, the marathon. Little did Bréal know that he had struck a chord that would resonate ever louder as the next century progressed. For there is something in man that seeks out challenge, especially the challenge of a single man taking on a task in which all the forces of nature, and often the opinions of men, are arrayed against him; a task in which his own solitude may become his greatest enemy; a task that his own drive, his own desire, and his own ego cannot fail to make him accomplish. There is something in man that seeks out the challenge of the unknown. As the world around us became more and more known in this century, man increasingly turned to the unknown within himself and sought to challenge the limits of his very being. There is something in man that makes him run marathons.

There is, too, something in the Olympic Games that makes its marathon the greatest of all, not merely because it was first or because the legend of Pheidippides links the race to ancient Greece. After the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, a group from Boston that had competed for the United States returned home full of excitement about the marathon race they had witnessed. The result of that excitement was the establishment of the Boston Marathon the following year. Run every April since 1897, the Boston race is considered by some the most prestigious of all marathons. After all, the Olympic race is run only every four years, while Boston is an annual race. How many great marathoners will be denied an Olympic medal because they are not at the peak of their career in the right year? Boston is run in the cool weather if New England spring, while the Olympic race is run in the often unfavorably hot conditions of midsummer. How can such poor running conditions produce a true champion? Yet winning the Olympic Marathon remains the ultimate accomplishment for a long-distance runner, in part because of the very limitations of the race.

Like any other long-distance race, the Olympic Marathon requires strength, courage, and endurance but it also requires something else, something the skeptics might call the blessing of the gods. So, if many of the world's greatest marathoners were never Olympic champions, it is all the more reason to praise the few who have triumphed in this race, for in the religion that twentieth-century sport has become, they have truly been touched by the gods. From Olympic Marathon, Charlie Lovett. Copyright © 1997 by Charlie Lovett. Reproduced with permission of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. , Westport, CT. marathon | race | Britannica.com Marathon Tokyo Marathon Marathon, long-distance footrace first held at the revival of the Olympic Games in Athens in 1896. It commemorates the legendary feat of a Greek soldier who, in 490 bc, is supposed to have run from Marathon to Athens, a distance of about 40 km (25 miles), to bring news of the Athenian victory over the Persians and then expired.

The story of this messenger from the Battle of Marathon was later conflated with the story of another Greek soldier, Pheidippides, who ran from Athens to Sparta in advance of the fighting. Appropriately, in 1896 the first modern marathon winner was a Greek, Spyridon Louis . In 1924 the Olympic marathon distance was standardized at 42,195 metres (26 miles 385 yards). This was based on a decision of the British Olympic Committee to start the 1908 Olympic race from Windsor Castle and finish it in front of the royal box in the stadium at London. The marathon was added to the women’s Olympic program in 1984. After the Olympic Games championship, one of the most coveted honours in marathon running is victory in the Boston Marathon , held annually since 1897. It draws athletes from all parts of the world and in 1972 became the first major marathon to officially allow women to compete. Other premiere marathons are held in London, Chicago , Berlin, New York City , Tokyo, and Amsterdam.

Marathons are not held on the track but on roads, and, despite the fact that courses are not of equal difficulty, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) does list world records for the marathon and also for the half-marathon. World-record times in the marathon steadily declined over the course of the 20th century from slightly under three hours to slightly more than two hours. It was long considered necessary for a runner to prepare for a marathon by training over that distance. At the 1952 Olympic Games, however, Czech Emil Zátopek set an Olympic record of 2 hours 23 minutes 3.2 seconds, even though he had never run the distance before. In the decades following, other first-time marathoners also won premiere events and set records at the distance. By the late 20th century, road racing, and marathon running in particular, had grown to become a recreational activity with broad appeal. Ultramarathons, which are neither Olympic nor IAAF events, are longer races based on a specific distance or an allotted time period for competition, such as a 12-hour race.

Learn More in these related articles: The First Marathon Run, The history of Phidippides The Battle that Changed Human History By Paul Ostapuk Setting the Stage The first two decades of the fifth century B.C. marked one of the great turning points in world history. These were the years of the Persian and Greek wars. The powerful Persian Empire in 546 B.C. extended from Asia to Eygpt to what is now Turkey. This great empire built the first Suez Canal which linked the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea. Greece on the other hand, consisted of a scattering of independent city-states, called poleis. These early city-states spawned the democratic ideas that have persisted into modern times. Athens eventually became the largest and most prosperous polis. Another Greek polis, Sparta, was not so democratic. They kept their kings and maintained a conservative, regimented society built around military training and the art of war. The Persian/Greek War The Persian Empire over the years expanded to the Mediterrean Sea. In the process some Greek settlements were conquered. Ionia was one such settlement. After many years, they tried to revolt against the Persians but the uprising was immediately squashed by the powerful Persian Army.

By the year 490 B.C., the Persian Army was ready to expand their territory and move into Europe. They landed a large force just outside of Athens on the plains of Marathon and prepared for attack. The Role of Phidippides The Athens, vastly outnumbered, desperately needed the help of Sparta's military base to help fend off the attack. Time was short, so the Athenian generals send Phidippides (or Philippides) a professional runner to Sparta to ask for help. The 140 mile course was very mountainous and rugged. Phidippides ran the course in about 36 hours. Sparta agreed to help but said they would not take the field until the moon was full due to religious laws. This would leave the Athenians alone to fight the Persian Army. Phidippides ran back to Athens (another 140 miles!) with the disappointing news. Immediately, the small Athenian Army (including Phidippedes) marched to the plains of Marathon to prepare for battle. The Battle of Marathon The Athenian Army was outnumbered 4 to 1 but they launched a suprise offensive thrust which at the time appeared suicidal.

But by day's end, 6400 Persian bodies lay dead on the field while only 192 Athenians had been killed. The surviving Persians fled to sea and headed south to Athens where they hoped to attack the city before the Greek Army could re-assemble there. Phidippides was again called upon to run to Athens (26 miles away) to carry the news of the victory and the warning about the approaching Persian ships. Despite his fatigue after his recent run to Sparta and back and having fought all morning in heavy armor, Phidippides rose to the challenge. Pushing himself past normal limits of human endurance, the reached Athens in perhaps 3 hours, deliverd his message and then died shortly thereafter from exhaustion. Sparta and the other Greek polies eventually came to the aid of Athens and eventually they were able to turn back the Persian attempt to conquer Greece. Concluding Remarks and Beginning of Olympic Marathon Races The Greek victory marked one of the decisive events of world history because it kept an Eastern power (the persians) from conquering what is now Europe. The victory gave the Greeks incredible confidence in themselves, their government and their culture.

In the two centuries that followed, the Greek culture spread across much of the known world. It made Europe possible and in affect won for civilization the opportunity to develop its own ecomomic life. Modern European-based nations such as the United States and Canada can trace their growth straight back through an unbroken chain of Western historical events back to the Victory at Marathon. Centuries later, the modern Olympic Games introduced a "marathon" race of (40,000 meters or 24.85 miles). The winner was Spiridon Louis, a Greek postal worker from village of Marusi and veteran of several long military marches , His time was 2 hours, 58 minutes, 50 seconds for the 40 kilometer distance (average pace of 7:11 minutes per mile). At the 1908 Olympic Games in London, the marathon distance was changed to 26 miles to cover the ground from Windsor Castleto White City stadium, with 385 yards added on so the race could finish in front of King Edward VII's royal box.

After 16 years of extremely heated discussion, this 26.2 mile distance was established at the 1924 Olympics in Paris as the official marathon distance. The Olympic Marathon The Olympic Marathon The Athens Marathon By Alexander Kitroeff* From Spyros Louis' victorious win in 1896 to the first women's marathon in 1973, the lengthy journey runs to this day SPYROS Louis' famous win in the marathon at the Athens Olympics of 1896 provided the exclamation mark for those Games. It was the only Greek win in the track and field events and it was in one of the last events. The home crowd greeted Louis' entrance into the Panathenaic Stadium, where he crossed the finishing line, with an outburst of patriotic enthusiasm. It was just as well, then, that the marathon race had been specially invented for the Olympic Games, only a year earlier. It was the brainchild of a Frenchman, Michel Breal, a friend of the reviver of the modern Olympics, the baron de Coubertin. Breal accompanied Coubertin when he travelled to Greece in 1895 to persuade the Greeks to organise the first Olympics.

Breal, a romantic phil hellene, stated he would offer a gold cup as a prize if the Greek organisers revived the run from the battleground at Marathon to Athens by the Greek soldier Pheidippides to announce the victory over the Persians in 490BC. According to the legend - no actual evidence exists in any of the sources - Pheidippides ran the roughly 40- kilometre (25-mile) distance at the conclusion of the battle, announced its outcome by gasping out Nenikikamen! and then promptly died of exhaustion. See also: Pheidippides' Heroic Journey The Athens Marathon The Greek organisers loved the idea of a race that recalled such a proud moment in Ancient Greek history, and they even had two trial runs. The first trial - the first ever marathon race in history - took place on March 10 (February 27 according to the Julian calendar that was observed in Greece at the time). It involved only Greek runners and the winner was the nineteen-year old Peloponnesian Charilaos Vasilakos, who would come second to Louis in the Olympic marathon, a month later.

Legendary Louis Appropriately perhaps for a race based on a legend, Louis, the first winner, became a legend in his own time. He won before a home crowd expecting a Greek win in what was considered a Greek race. The twenty-four year old Louis, a farmer and water carrier who lived in Maroussi just north of Athens (and now one of its suburbs) had taken part in the second trial marathon prior to the Olympics but otherwise he was untrained, and this gave his win its mystique and romanticism and helped him become a legend. The Olympic Stadium that hosts the 2004 Athens Olympics, located very close to Maroussi, is named after Louis. There has probably never been a marathon win again of such tremendous national importance. Coubertin's biographer, Chicago University professor John MacAloon, said that Louis' dramatic victory in the marathon gave the Olympics an aura of heroism that helped them become the major sporting event in the world. The longest race and the most gruelling track and field event, the marathon is now the highlight of each Olympics and traditionally takes place on the last day.

Its instant popularity led, within months of the Athens Olympics, to the running of a marathon in Paris and in the American town of Stamford, Connecticut in April 1896 and, most famously, to the establishment of an annual marathon race which began the next year in Boston, Massachusetts, that is now a major event on the international athletic calendar. By being held only every four years, however, the Olympics marathon is the one that attracts the most international attention. From its earliest days it also generated the best myths. A small book can be written about the stories surrounding Louis' origins and the rewards he was promised and actually received for his win. Fanciful stories also emerged about the next marathon winner at the Paris Olympics in 1900. Michel Theato, a resident of France who was born in Luxembourg, was said to have won on a very hot day because he was a baker used to delivering hot croissants to his fellow Parisians. As usually happens, academic research spoiled this good story by ascertaining that Thlato was, in fact a woodworker. Marathon music There have been several dramatic finishes to the Olympic marathons that have involved athletes running neck and neck in the final stretch.

The first of these took place at the london Olympics in 1908. This might not have happened if the race's distance had not been extended in order to please the British royal family: they wanted the race to start just outside one of their official residences, Windsor Castle, located just west of london. Although there was no standard distance yet, the previous marathons had been between 25 and 26 miles (or 40 to 41.6 kilometres). In london, the 26-mile maximum distance would have ended the race at the entrance to london's White City stadium. But there would be greater dramatic effect if the runners circled the stadium and ended up in front of the royal box. So another 385 yards were, added. This extra distance proved disastrous for the Italian runner Dorando Pietri who entered the stadium first but then, utterly exhausted, collapsed. Pietri got up, staggered on and fell again but was helped up by officials who eventually had to assist him across the finishing line. This was in clear violation of the rules, and the American team, whose runner John Hays, a New Yorker, came in second to Pietri, lodged a protest.

The judges had no option but to disqualify the unlucky Italian and award the gold medal to Hays. In a very British gesture, it was announced that Pietri would receive a special award for the fighting spirit he had shown in adversity. Irving Berlin, one of America's greatest popular composers, had his first big hit with the song' Dorando' , named after the Italian runner. It is about an Italian-American barbershop owner who bets his shop on Dorando winning a race at Madison Square garden. Dorando falls and loses: "Dorando he's a drop! / Goodbye poor old barber shop." And the reason Dorando does not win, according to Berlin, is that the day before he eats Irish beef stew instead of spaghetti. Ironically, Hays was the son of Irish immigrants.

Kenya's Paul Tergat, one of the favourites to win the 2004 marathon, shows off the gold medal that he won on 28 September 2003 in Berlin with a time of 2:04.55 International race The Korean Kitei Song (Kee Chung­Sohn) won the marathon at the 1936 Games in Berlin running, unhappily, in Japanese colours because his country was occupied by Japan. This first win by a runner from Asia meant that among the first ten Olympic marathon winners (eleven if we include the Interim Olympics held in Athens in 1906) were runners from all the major continents. After Louis in 1896 and Thlato in 1900, two more runners from Europe won the gold, the Finn Johannes Kolehmainen in 1920 and his compatriot Albin Stenroos in 1924. There were two Americans, Thomas Hicks in 1904 and John Hays in 1908, and a Canadian, Phillip Sherring in 1906.

Two winners came from Africa - the South African Kennedy MacArthur in 1912 and the Algerian (running in French colours) Boughera EI Ouafi in 1928. And in 1932, Juan Zabala became the first Olympic marathon winner from Latin America A map of the original 1896 Marathon course. The route is the same for the Athens 2004 Olympics New records In the aftermath of World War II, the Olympic marathon acquired a new legend: Emil Zatopek..When the Czech runner appeared at the starting line during the 1952 Helsinki Games he caused a great deal of consternation among the other competitors. There was a very good reason why. Zatopek had just won the two major long-distance contests - the 10,000 metres (that he had also won at the London 1948 Games) and the 5,000 metres. He had never, though, competed in a marathon before.

In the 10,000m the runner-up was a full 100 metres behind him and in the 5,000m, Zatopek was only in fourth place with half a lap to go, but he sprinted into the lead in the final turn and won easily. In the afternoon, he watched his wife Jana, whom he had met at the London Games, win gold in the javelin throw. Distance runners, especially 10,000­metre specialists, often compete in the marathon as well. Delfo Cabrera, the Argentinian winner of the London marathon in 1948, had earlier distinguished himself in the 10,000-metre race in the South American championships. But no one had ever gone on to try for the marathon after winning a long distance race in the same tournament only days earlier. So Zatopek's presence at the starting line caused understandable astonishment, at least to those not familiar with his genuine love of running long distances! As a novice, the Czech runner did not know what the right pace was, so for good measure he ran along with the more experienced favourites who led the race.

Then, just past the halfway mark, he found himself ahead of everyone else. There was no mistaking Zatopek' s figure as he entered the stadium, still first. He had the most unorthodox running style, his arms and shoulders flayed about, his head was tilted to one side and his face was contorted in an awful grimace. The lower half of his body seemed to be moving totally independently. The stadium's 70,000 capacity crowd rose to their feet and cheered Zatopek to the finishing line. History had been made, and this extraordinary feat has yet to be repeated. A year before Zatopek' s triumph at Helsinki, a young Ethiopian named Abebe Bikila enlisted in the army because it offered him the opportunity to do the running and physical training he enjoyed. Within a few years it became evident that Bikila was a strong marathon runner, with times very close to those of the Algerian­born Alain Mimoun, who won at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, running in French colours. Bikila was included in the small Ethiopian squad which travelled to Rome for the 1960 Olympics.

There was an anti-colonial aura surrounding Mimoun' s win for France at a time when his fellow-Algerians were fighting the French for independence. Something similar was at work when the Ethiopians competed in the capital city of their former colonial masters. Perhaps it was this that energised Bikila on the eve of the marathon, although he had rather more immediate concerns: his running shoes had fallen apart and he could not find a suitable pair to replace them. So he decided he would run barefoot. The marathon was about to acquire a new legend. Bikila not only won, but he also posted a new world record, clocking in at 2 hours, 15 minutes and 16 seconds. It was the first Olympic marathon win under the two-hour-twenty-minute mark. The only difference between the Rome marathon of 1960 and the one at the next Olympics in Tokyo was that Bikila won wearing shoes this time. He also smashed the record by running eight minutes faster. Thus he became the first athlete to win two consecutive Olympic marathon races. Zatopek may have been the greatest long distance runner to win a marathon, but Bikila was surely the greatest marathon runner of all time.

Indeed, Bikila was in with a chance to win a third marathon in Mexico City in 1968, but he injured himself and, not fully fit, had to abandon the race. But Ethiopia did not lose all hope for a third marathon medal in a row because Bikila' s running mate, the 36-year-old Mamo Wolde, was among the leaders. Spurred on by Bikila' s appeal to him to make history, Wolde took the lead around the thirtieth kilometre and kept it until he crossed the finishing line. So Ethiopia became the first and only country to win three consecutive Olympic marathons. But a couple of tragic twists of fate were in store for its champion runners. A few months after the 1968 Olympics Bikila was involved in a car accident in his country that left him paralysed from below the waist. He remained active but fell ill and died five years later. Wolde would suffer as well, as a result of the political instability Ethiopia faced: he spent several years in prison in the 1990s.

European dominance After an American Frank Shorter took the gold in the marathon at Munich in 1972, with Wolde coming in third, European runners won the next four. In fact, the East German Waldermar Cierpinski, formerly a steeplechase runner, equalled Bikila's feat by winning the rain­drenched marathon at the Montreal Olympics in 1976, with Shorter coming in second, and winning again with a very strong finish at the Moscow 1980 Olympics. Two southern European victories followed at a time when more and more countries were entering athletes for the event. Portugal's Carlos Lopes won in Los Angeles in 1984, at thirty-seven the oldest ever winner, and the Italian Gelindo Bordin won in Seoul in 1988. The Korean Hwang Young-Cho' s victory in Barcelona put an end to this period of European dominance - it was the first win for an Asian runner since his compatriot Kitei Shon (Kee Chung-Sohn) had won in Berlin in 1936.

Women' marathon The difficulty women experienced in being treated as equal to men in the Olympic Games is epitomised by how late they had to wait for a women's marathon to be included. It was in Amsterdam in 1928 that women were allowed to compete for the first time in what was considered for them to be a long distance race, the 800 metres. Because many of the competitors collapsed on finishing, the male Olympic administrators decided that women were unsuited to running long distances. Only in the 1970s did attitudes begin to change. In 1973 a women-only marathon was organised in Germany, and was repeated the following year after another one had also been run in California. The first women's marathon at a major international event was held in Athens in 1982 at the European track and field championships and was won by Rosa Mota of Portugal. The first women's Olympic marathon took place in Los Angeles in 1984, with America's Joan Benoit the winner and Grete Waitz of Norway second. Benoit's time was better than that of many male Olympic marathon winners.

Another myth about female weakness landed in the dustbin of history as women's marathons proliferated throughout the world. Mota won the bronze medal in Los Angeles but four years later she was the gold medal winner at the Seoul Olympics where only 5 of the 69 starters did not finish. Valentina Yegorova of the former Soviet Union won in Barcelona in 1992 with Japan's Yuko Arimori finishing very close behind her, and 37-year-old Lorraine Moller of New Zealand third. Arimori' s performance was particularly impressive given that she had been born with a congenital dislocation of her foot joint, which was corrected with a cast when she was a child. Ethiopian women followed the example set by their men when Fatuma Roba won at the Atlanta Olympics of 1996 aged twenty-two, with Yegorova and Arimori finishing behind her in the same order as four years earlier. At Sydney it was third time lucky for Japan's quest for women's gold when 28-year-old Naoko Takahashi was the winner. Lidia Simon of Romania was second and Joyce Chepchumba of Kenya third.

Takahashi broke Benoit's record, and her success provided a powerful boost for women in Japan, where marathon running is a revered sport. Meanwhile, Japan's Arimori was still in the news, but for the wrong kind of reason. There was media speculation that she was marrying an American in order to move to the United States. Ultimately, she wound up as a Japanese TV commentator at the Sydney Games. Later, she was to make the news for a good reason too. In 1998, she established a non-governmental organisation (NGO) called "Heart of Gold", which aims to offer hope to handicapped people around the world through sports. The NGO also supports self-help activities by war victims in Cambodia and other countries. Africa strikes back The Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 men's marathons witnessed the re­emergence of African runners. South African Josiah Thugwane won in Atlanta in an extremely close finish that had Korea's Lee Bong-ju just behind him and the Kenyan Eric Wainaina a close third. The Africans were back and no one was left in any doubt after they captured all three medals in Sydney in 2000.

This time Wainana was second, coming in between two Ethiopians, the winner Gezahng Abera and bronze medallist Tesfaye Tola. The three winners shared more than their African identities: high altitude training prior to the Games. "We train high, and compete low," said team doctor Ayalew Tilahun. He was referring to the Ethiopian policy of withdrawing athletes from competition for a month before the Games and putting them through intensive training at the high-altitude team camp in Addis Ababa. And there is one more important ingredient in the Ethiopian and Kenyan preparations, a tactic first adopted by Emil Zatopek. They have intense work outs with a lot of speed training, something that not all long distance coaches and athletes favour. And speaking of great runners such as Zatopek, we must not forget the other ingredient that makes for a champion marathon runner - the sheer will to continue running and to win. "When I felt tired during the race, all I could think was, 'What about all that effort, wasn't it for this?''' explained Abera after he had crossed the finishing line in Sydney. The men's marathon race tomorrow will be all about continuity (as was last Sunday's women's race).

The runners will take the same course covered by Spyros Louis back in 1896 and the finish is sure to evoke memories of the revival of the modern Games. But this time there will be no Greek winner. The favourites, according to Sports Illustrated, a leading US sports magazine, are all from Africa ­Paul Tergat of Kenya, Gert Thys of South Africa and Jaouad Gharib of Morocco. * Alexander Kitroeff was born in Athens. He is professor of history at Haverford College in Pennsylvania and author of Wrestling With the Ancients: Modern Greek Identity and the Olympics, New York, Greekworks.com, 2004 HCS readers can view other excellent articles by the Athens News writers and staff in many sections of our extensive, permanent archives, especially our News & Issues, Travel in Greece, Business, and Food, Recipes & Garden sections at the URL . Readers enjoying these articles may wish to subscribe to the Athens News by visiting the website and following online directions at . All articles of Athens News appearing on HCS have been reprinted with permission. 2000 © Hellenic Communication Service, L.L.C. All Rights Reserved.

Question: The Olympic Marathon is held in commemoration of which ancient Greek soldier who ran from Marathon to Athens?
Answer: Pheidippides